


Slice of Life

by orphan_account



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Cooking, Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 10:25:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2266230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Makoto teaches her new-found friends to make onigiri.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slice of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by that moment in Mako-chan's introduction episode when she shares lunch with Usagi.

"Mou, Mako-chan! Your carrots are so neat and straight and mine are…"

Usagi pouted as Makoto glanced over at the chopped carrots sitting on the chopping board in front of Usagi. Certainly, the attempt to julienne the carrots had resulted in bits of carrot of various shapes and sizes. Makoto smiled, slipping her hands over Usagi’s from behind, demonstrating the knife action one more time with the blonde girl’s hands.

"You just need a little practice, that’s all," Makoto said as she helped Usagi to neatly slice a piece of carrot into a small stick shape. “‘Sides, it’s going in with lots of other ingredients, so it doesn’t matter too much if it’s a bit messy."

Usagi nodded, more carefully slicing a piece of carrot. It split somewhere a little further down the stick of carrot, pulling away a chunk. Makoto chuckled, continuing to slice her ginger root.

After having told Usagi that onigiri were easy enough to make, Makoto had found herself offering to teach the other girl how to make them. So it was that the four girls — Makoto, Ami, Rei, and Usagi — had gathered at Makoto’s place for a day of cooking. Each of the four girls had taken parts of a split up shopping list, and brought ingredients with them.

A little earlier, Makoto had demonstrated how to make the basic onigiri shapes with plain rice and salt. Using a small cup and a little saran wrap, she had easily made the recognizable triangular onigiri. She had also demonstrated cylindrical shapes, after mixing some salmon flakes into her portion of rice.

Rei had brought umeboshi, the ever popular sour pickled plum, adding them to her own onigiri. Rather than using the saran wrap method, Rei had shaped the rice balls with her bare hands, much to Usagi’s astonishment.

Ami made one of each different type — plain, umeboshi-filled, one with salmon flakes, and another with bonito flakes. Usagi had likewise opted for onigiri of different flavours. On her first try, the onigiri had fallen apart upon attempting to remove it from the saran wrap, but with some practice, Usagi had managed to make a small line of rice balls of various flavours, all with a simple strip of nori for decoration.

Moving on, they were working on making okowa, a rice mix with carrots, ginger, aburaage, and mushrooms. While Makoto had been familiar with the recipe, the suggestion had come from Rei, whose grandfather happened to be fond of the dish. The rice was currently sitting in Makoto’s rice cooker, already seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, and the stock from pre-soaking the mushrooms. The ingredients would join the rice soon, once Usagi was finished chopping the carrots. Rei had already finished slicing the aburaage — fried tofu skins — and Ami had chopped the mushrooms. Makoto had slowed her dicing up of the ginger root to allow Usagi time to finish.

"It’s been such a long time since I’ve been able to cook like this," Ami admitted. "Mom’s busy at the hospital a lot, so there’s not much point in making much of anything since it would probably just go to waste."

Rei nodded. “ _Mottainai_ ,” she said. “Grandfather would always say that when I was little.” She frowned. “Every grain of rice has a god, he would say. To waste the rice is to dishonour them.”

Silence fell in the kitchen, with the exception of Usagi’s knife scraping across the chopping board. Rei’s cheeks coloured.

"Sorry.." Rei mumured.

"You don’t need to apologize," Makoto said softly.

Makoto had heard that word — _mottainai_ — a few times herself, growing up. It was the first comment of grownups when food was left on a plate — a sense of shame about things being wasted. Living on her own, now, she herself could not afford to let things go to waste. An old bento box she had found in her old house had meant not having to buy another box. The bag in which she carried it was fashioned from an old shirt that no longer fit Makoto’s tall frame.

"Well, in that case, we won’t let our efforts today go to waste," Ami smiled. "The work of cooking should build our appetites, right?"

Makoto and Rei nodded emphatic agreement. “Right!”

"And if all else fails," Rei added playfully, "Usagi will eat anything anyway."

Usagi — too focused on her carrots — didn’t comment, but she too smiled as the kitchen rang with laughter.


End file.
